Federal court refuses to dismiss challenge to drilling ban … again

posted at 4:02 pm on September 1, 2010 by Ed Morrissey

The White House suffered another defeat in federal court on an issue their own advisers have declared not worth fighting. Judge Martin Feldman refused again to dismiss a challenge to the Obama administration’s drilling moratorium in the Gulf of Mexico this afternoon, saying that their newly drafted ban didn’t differ enough from their first to render the lawsuit invalid:

Hornbeck Offshore Services Inc and other oil companies sued the government when it first ordered a halt to deepwater drilling in the Gulf of Mexico in May after BP Plc’s well rupture that killed 11 workers and caused the world’s worst offshore spill.

The drilling halt was subsequently amended, so the government sought to toss out the Hornbeck lawsuit, arguing it was no longer relevant.

But U.S. District Judge Martin Feldman, who earlier this summer blocked the first drilling halt, said in a 20-page ruling that the government’s amended moratorium offered “no substantial changes” from the first one.

Even with a head start and a big hint, the White House can’t get a moratorium written properly enough to get around Feldman. But the real question is why they bothered to try at all. A study commissioned by Barack Obama’s panel on the Gulf spill reported last week that the ban is no longer necessary, if it ever was at all. The new rules in place at MMS and in the Gulf have already addressed the risks discovered in the Deepwater Horizon blowout, and banning any further drilling isn’t increasing safety any longer.

That report should have rendered the whole debate moot. With the economy declining, the 23,000 jobs this ban costs are sorely needed, especially in the Gulf region. Instead of fighting in court to destroy those jobs and to cost Americans the necessary production for our energy needs so that other jobs can be created, the White House should be deep-sixing the moratorium and helping to get rigs on line and producing safely.

Blowback

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This administration has declared ware on Republican states and the American citizens who live in them. It will destroy job, economies, and security in states that have moved from Democrat to Republican governors (see Louisiana, Arizona, New Jersey).

With the economy declining, the 23,000 jobs this ban costs are sorely needed, especially in the Gulf region. Instead of fighting in court to destroy those jobs and to cost Americans the necessary production for our energy needs so that other jobs can be created, the White House should be deep-sixing the moratorium and helping to get rigs on line and producing safely.

Not only that, but consider the ridiculous waste of taxpayer dollars in legal and administrative costs to maintain this foolish and ill-conceived lawsuit. This is just further evidence that Barry and his merry band of useful idiots are more interested in pushing a far left agenda than in governing a center right country. In his inaugural address, BHO promised that he would be everyone’s President, but he’s long since abandoned that facade by exposing his radical agenda and his incredible incompetence. Remember in November and beyond.

Instead of fighting in court to destroy those jobs and to cost Americans the necessary production for our energy needs so that other jobs can be created, the White House should be deep-sixing the moratorium and helping to get rigs on line and producing safely.

Not this White House – they are committed to bringing America down to a second- or third- rate country.

THAT is what 8/28 was about – people who refuse to let this cynical, money-obsessed man and his ilk destroy our country.

Didn’t Glen Beck do a show about a month or two ago that revealed that Palin was correct in saying that Barry giving Brazil 2 billion dollars to drill off shore but killing our off shore drilling was outrageous and then Beck went on to demonstrate that Soros was involved with Petrobas? So this drilling equip is scarce, Brazil needs it, Barry puts a moratorium on the Gulf and the scarce equipment leaves for Brazil. Our next president better be prepared to arrest this one and the whole gang of thieves he works with.

It isn’t about safety, jobs or energy. It’s about Obama’s ego now. He thinks he’s right and by God he’s going to keep pushing until the court says he’s right. All to justify his initial decision and promote himself.

The man is extremely petty. Folks need to get a grip on that simple fact.

Didn’t Glen Beck do a show about a month or two ago that revealed that Palin was correct in saying that Barry giving Brazil 2 billion dollars to drill off shore but killing our off shore drilling was outrageous and then Beck went on to demonstrate that Soros was involved with Petrobas? So this drilling equip is scarce, Brazil needs it, Barry puts a moratorium on the Gulf and the scarce equipment leaves for Brazil. Our next president better be prepared to arrest this one and the whole gang of thieves he works with.

CCRWM on September 1, 2010 at 4:48 PM

Agenda items for the next Congress. Impeach Salizar et al over this. And Holder over the voter intimidation case and suing Arizona over immigration enforcement.

It isn’t moot because, if the government can’t prevail in upholding the moratorium, they may face lawsuits for damages due to the improper imposition of the drilling moratorium. The most damaging factor is that Ken Salazar improperly modified the original experts study to indicate the need for the moratorium. If that can’t be shown to have at least some merit, the damage awards will flow.

With one stroke of the pen, Obama killed 23,000+ jobs (not counting the longer-term fallout of his idiotic oil embargo).

And this is in addition to the tens of thousands of auto industry jobs, tens of thousands of financial industry jobs, tens of thousands of coal and gas industry jobs he’s already killed. And don’t forget the hundreds of thousands of insurance and health industry jobs which are about to be killed by Obamacare!!!

The next presidential administration may have to pay damages to the offshore oil companies for the malicious destruction of the industry wrought by Bammie. That’s only the start of what we will have to do to reenergize this valuable industry.

Government officials from Gulf Coast states say the drilling ban is damaging a region which fucking well deserves it for dissing His hOliness and not electing more Democrats. The moratorium idled 33 rigs and forced up to 23,247 bitter clinging red-staters to hock their guns and go on welfare, or will when the suckers who kept them on in hopes of resuming drilling run out of money, and the administration hopes for more in the near future.

Government officials from Gulf Coast states say the drilling ban is damaging a region which f– well deserves it for dissing His hOliness and not electing more Democrats. The moratorium idled 33 rigs and forced up to 23,247 bitter clinging red-staters to hock their guns and go on welfare, or will when the suckers who kept them on in hopes of resuming drilling run out of money, and the administration hopes for more in the near future.

Which reminds me of a Quasimodo joke…
One night Quasimodo comes home after a long day of work at the Notre Dame Cathedral. He walks in the door, looks in the kitchen and sees his wife heating up the wok. He asks her, “Hey honey, are we having Chinese tonight?” Quasimodo’s wife replies, “Nah, I’m just ironing your shirts.”